Flying over the Swiss Alps to Italy!
Studying abroad through Grove City College is a wonderful way to expand one’s view of the world, meet new people, and learn about different cultures! The school makes studying abroad extremely accessible and allows each student to have options with the multiple programs approved by the Office of Global Programs.
The thought of going abroad for a whole semester can be daunting for a student, especially when the process is unclear and unfamiliar. Not to worry though, because the Office of Global Programs is extremely helpful and students can stop in or make an appointment at anytime! Student Advisers are available to guide each individual in their own process and make it as clear and personal to them as possible. The first step will be deciding what semester will fit best into the student’s schedule to go abroad. It will be necessary to make sure that all required classes are taken and/or available in the semesters that the student will be back at Grove City College. And then the fun begins! It will be time to do some research and narrow down programs and destinations. This is one of the best parts because the options are endless and there are really no limits to where a student can go! Some things to think about when deciding where to go are: What is your major? What languages can you speak? What is a culture that you have always been interested in learning more about? Where have you always dreamed of traveling to? Do you want to challenge yourself in speaking another language or would you rather go somewhere that speaks English?
Once the destination and program have been settled on, it will be time to figure out how many and what courses the student wants to take. The Office of Global Programs will assist the most in this stage of the process, as handing out and receiving the Course Approval Forms is their main job when advising students. Preferred and alternate courses will be chosen and then students take the form with each course syllabus to the correct Department Chair here at Grove City to get a signature. The form will be brought back to the Office of Global Programs where the forms are delivered to the Registrar’s Office to get approved. The Financial Aid Office will email the student to discuss more about preparing to study abroad. The process is a wonderful balance of learning to go through each step independently, along with guidance from the correct staff and students.
Every student should at least consider going through the process of studying abroad. It will be a learning experience and so rewarding once it is completed and the student is on their way to a semester in a different country!
